Vacuum cleaner



Aug. 24, 1943. R. A. PoNsELLl-z VACUUM CLEANER Filed July 27, 1940 ine..

m INV TOR Patented Aug. 24, 1943' UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE VACUUMCLEANER Robert A. Ponselle, New York, N. Y. Application July 27, 1940,Serial No. 348,142

(ci. iss-37) 4 Claims.

This invention relates to vacuum cleaners of the mobile type and isconcerned more particularly with a .vacuum cleaner having numerous novelfeatures of construction which give it a wide range utility, increaseits eiliciency, and cause it to operate with much less noise than priormachines of like capacity. The cleaner of the invention is especiallysuitable for heavy duty commercial and industrial Work, since it may beemployed for removal of dust, liquid, suds, rubbish, metal waste andchips, etc., by vacuum action and also as a blower for cleaning,spraying, and similar purposes. Despite its high capacity, it is ofsimple compact construction and relatively light in weight so that itmay be readily moved about as desired and may be employed in restrictedspaces.

Portable vacuum cleaners as heretoforev constructed have been of twogeneral types, those having a bag or filter within a housing and thosehaving an external bag, and neither type is satisfactory for cleaningoperations which involve removal of both dry and wet materials. Theinternal bag type of machine cannot be used for removal of liquids,suds, etc., because the bag within the housing would at once become wet,and if the machine were then used for dry dust removal, lthe particlesof dust would adhere to the bag and ultimately clog the openingstherethrough so that the air iiow would be cut down and the efficiencyof the machine reduced. The prior external bag machines intended fordual purpose cleaning include a tank into which the incoming air streamis admitted and in which it is intended that'the liquid will collect,and the stream vleaving the tank then passes through the fan and intothe bag. However, the velocity of the stream entering the tank is sohigh that splashing of the liquid occurs therein and a mist is formedwhich passes into the bag and meistens it. Here again, if the machinewith the bag thus moistened is used for the removal of dry dust, the bagwill become clogged and the efficiency reduced. Accordingly, theexternal bag machines are provided with two bags to be used alternatelyfor wet and dry cleaning. Aside from that, such machines are bulky andcumbersome because of the large bag mounted outside the tank.

The new cleaner is of the internal bag type but is so constructed thatit may be used for removal of both wet and dry materials withoutchanging of the bag and without danger of the bag becoming clogged andthe operating efficiency of the apparatus reduced. The new. machineincludes a. housing containing amotor and fan unit which operates todraw air into the housing through an inlet and expel it through anoutlet. Inside the casing between the inlet and unit is a lter, and theair from which the solid materials have been removed by the lter passesrst through the motor and then to the fan so that the maximum coolingeffect for the motor is obtained. Themotor and fan unit is preferablysuspended on a mounting from a cover for the housing so that the coverand unit may be removed as one, and the mounting is resilient and thusprevents transmission of vibration from the moving parts to the rest ofthe machine. Adjacent the housing inlet is a-device for reducing thevelocity of the incoming air so that liquids and suds are removed fromthe air stream and deposited Without splashing in the bottom of thehousing. The provision of such a device, accordingly, makes possible theuse of an enclosed lter even though the machine is to be used forremoval of liquids and suds, since the device avoids the'possibility ofliquids and suds splashing on the filter. With the filter enclosed, onlyltered air passes through the motor and fan unit, so that any liabilityof those parts being injured by airborne material is eliminated.

The cleaner includes various new features additional to those mentionedand for a better understanding of the invention, reference may be had tothe accompanying drawing in which Fig. 1 is a view partly in elevationand partly in section of one form of the new apparatus; and

Fig. 2 is a sectional view of a detail.

The cleaner illustrated includes a rolling carriage comprising a.platform I0 supported on wheels I I and a caster I2. 'Ihe wheels aremounted for rotation relative to the carriage in any suitable manner andthe caster has a shank received in a bore in an extension I3 from theplatform. Resting on the top of the platform is a container I4 which isof suitable capacity and is preferably made of sheet metal. In normaluse, the container is secured in place on the platform and for thispurpose, the platform is provided with a pair of fixed stops I5, ofwhich only one is illustrated. These stops may be blocks of rubbermounted in the brackets I6 in which the axles of the wheel II aresecured and the container is held against the stops by means of anendwise movable rod I 'I mounted in an opening in the wall of theextension I3 and having a block of cushioning material I8 on its end.

The rear end of the rod I'I is connected by a link I9 to the lower endof a plunger 20 mounted in the extension for vertical movement andhavand a spring 22 enciroles the rod and bears at one end against theinner surface of the extension and at the other against the end of thelink. The construction of the parts described is such that when theplunger is in the fully depressed position illustrated, the rodl'l ismoved inwardly so that the block I8 bears against the container andforces it into iirm contact with the stops i5 against the force of thesprings22. When the container is to be removed, the plunger is raisedand the link pulls back upon the rod l1 and disengages block .I8 fromthe side of the container,

the spring then acting through the link to hold the plunger raised.

Mounted on the upper end of the container is an adapter 23, which ispreferably made of suitable sheet metal and is secured in place byclamps (not shown) which are mounted on the vcontainer nearA its upperedge and have portions overhanging the peripheral flange 24 at the lowerend of the adapter. The upper end of the adapter has an opening closedby a cover consisting of a sleeve 25B- and a dome 25b and this cover isheld in place by clamps (not shown) secured on the adapter and havingportions overhangin'g the peripheral ange 26 on the sleeve. The adapterhas a lower end which may be of varying diameters depending on that ofthe container used and, in some machines, no adapter is used and thecover is secured directly to the container. The container, with orwithout the adapter, constitutes a housing having al top opening closedby the cover, and attached to the cover and extending downward into theadapter or container is a motor and fan unit. vBy releasing the clampssecuring the cover in place, the cover and .the motor and fan unit canbe removed as one, whereupon the lter bag to be described is accessibleand can be shaken to remove adhering dust.

Air is drawn into the container through an opening in the wall.ASurrounding the opening is a plate 28 secured to the outer wall of thecontainer and having a short integral sleeve 28a extending through theopening, a gasket 28b being placed between the plate and wall to preventleakage into the container around the sleeve. The plate has an outwardlyprojecting sleeve 29 and a tube 30 inserted into sleeve 28- extendsinwardly'into the container and is enclosed by a casing 3| secured tothe' inner wall of the container. The casing and tube are eccentric withthe tube lying near the upper side of the casing and the casing has anend wall 32 which lies spaced from the inner end of the tube. The wall32 is integral with a portion 33 of the side wall of the casing andthese parts form an end member pivoted at 34 on a bracket secured to theremainder of the casing. A spring35, encircling the pivot, tends to holdthe end member in closed position and the member is preferably securedin place by a catch which may consist of a loop 36 pivoted on the wallof the casing and receivable into a notch in a projection 31 secured tothe side wall member 33. The casing has a discharge opening 38 in thelower portion of its side wall near the wall of the container and, asshown, the opening has a cross-sectional area substantially greater thanthat of the tube 30.

When the machine is operating, air enters the inlet at a high velocity,such as 90 M. P. H., and the air stream strikes the end wall 32 of thecasing and then rebounds and rushes back and strikes the container walland again rebounds. The air streams rebounding from the two wallscollide and mingle to flow out laterally through the discharge openingand the result of such action is that the air flow through the openinginto the main space within the container is at a greatly reducedvelocity, as, for example, 10 to l2 M. P. H. The air then passes upwardin the container, while the air-borne material, such as liquids, suds,the heavier particles of dust, chips, etc., drop out of the air streamand collect in the bottom of the container. Since'the Velocity of thestream issuing from the casing is relatively low, the liquids and sudsare deposited without splashingand no mist is created to be carriedalong by the stream ilowing upward in the container.

The casing with the tube 30, accordingly, constitutes a device whicheiectively reduces the velocity of the air stream entering the containerand permits separation of the air and air-borne material so that thelatter is not carried along to the filter bag. The space within thecasing around -the tube 30 is of a cross-sectional area substantiallygreater than that of the tube and the device thus oiers no obstructionto the flow of air therethrough and acts vto diiuse the stream. Theaction of the air stream within the casing normally prevents the latterfrom becoming clogged but, if dry dust is carried into the machine whenthe interior of the casing is wet, some of the particles may adhere tothe casing walls and the movable end member is provided so that theinterior of the casing may be cleaned out when necessary. The spring onthe end member insures that the latter will be closed automatically.

The flow of air is produced by a motor driven fan unit which comprisesan enclosure 39 suspended from the cover on a sleeve 40 of flexibleresilient material, such as rubber. The upper end of the sleeve isclamped to the cover in any suitable manner and the lower end is clampedto the up'per end of the enclosure 39. Because of the flexibility of thesleeve, the vibration of the moving parts is kept from being transmittedto the cover andthis lessens the noise of operation. The enclosure hasan air inlet at its lower end and a motor 4| is secured to the lower endof the enclosure in line with the inlet. The motor is of conventionaltype and has openings 42 at its lower end so that all the air drawn intothe container ows upward through the motor before reaching the fans.This insures the maximum cooling eiect for the motor so that it may beoperated at a high output rate without overheating.

The motor is provided with a shaft 43 mounted 'in a bearing 44 at thelower end of the motor casing and another bearing 45 at the upper end ofthe-enclosure. Mounted on the shaft in spaced relation are one or morefans 46 of usual construction, diffusers 41 being provided when morethan one fan is used. The air leaving the fans passes out of theenclosure through outlet openings 48 and enters the dome of the cover.

AA baiiie 49 of sound insulating material lies within the dome of thecover above the enclosure outlets and may conveniently comprise a. platehaving covered on at least one face and preferably on both with a heavylayer 5|! of felt. 'I'he baille is suspended on bolts 5| from the top ofthe cover and the bolts are provided with spacing sleeves to hold thebaffle in proper position. 'I'he top of the cover is provided with alining 52 of sound insulating material, such' as felt, and thedimensions of the parts are such that a narrow channel 53 of a totalcross-sectional area at leastequal to that of the container inlet isprovided for the escape of the air between the edge oi' the `baille andthe inner surface of the lining. At its top, the cover has an air outletopening which is surrounded by a plate 54 secured to the outer surfaceof the cover and provided with a sleeve 55 aligned with the opening.

Interposed between the housing inlet and the motor is a filter 56 whichmay conveniently take the form of a bag of suitable fabric having astiening disc 56a of fibre secured to its lower end. The bag is providedwith a stiilening ring 56b along its upper edge and is supported by ametal ring 51 having a downwardly curved portion into which the upperedge of the bag with ring 56h therein can be sprung in place. The ring51 has an outwardly extending ange embedded in a rubber ring 51'3 andthe rubber ring is adapted to rest upon the upper end of the adapter 23or the container, when no adapter is used, and be clamped in place bythe flange 26 of the sleeve of the cover. In order that the bag may notbe drawn upward when the machine is operating, the fan enclosure isprovided with a frame 58 of wire or similar material which extends downinto the-bottom of the bag. The stiiiening disc 56a prevents the bottomof the bag from being sucked up against the'inlets 42. The frame is ofsuch construction as not to cut down air flow through the bag, and,since it is attached to the fan enclosure, removal of the cover with themotor and fan unit also removes the frame, so that the bag can be shakento free dust particles adhering thereto. Such shaking is done while thebag is in place, so that the dust is not released into the atmosphere,and when the bag is to be removed for any purpose, its ring 56b issprung out of ring 51 with an upward movement.

The vacuum produced by the action of the fan is applied to the surfaceto be cleaned through a hose 59 connected to the usual handle having atool at one end. The hose is formed of a metal end piece 60 which isinsertable in the sleeve 29 and the end piece has a beveled end surface6| and is formed with a recess 62 rearwardly thereof, which may beeither of small dimensions or extend circumferentially of the end piece.A lever 63 is pivotally mounted on the sleeve 29 and is acted on by acompression spring 64, the lever having an end to which is pivoted a pin64"L which passes through an opening in the sleeve and enters the recess62. With this arrangement, the end piece may be inserted in the sleeveand the beveled end, engaging the pin on the lever, pushes the pinupward and swings the lever against the spring so that the end piece canbe inserted until the end of the pin snaps down into the recess 62.Thereafter, the end piece is securely held in the sleeve and can beremoved only by swinging oi the lever against its spring to move the pinon the lever out of the recess. The sleeve 55 at the outlet of themachine is also provided with a spring-pressed lever similar to lever 63in order that the end of a hose may be secured in the sleeve when themachine is used for blowing or spraying.

The connection described, consisting of a sleeve carrying a lever and anend piece insertable in the sleeve and provided with a recess, may beused for connecting the hose to the handle of the tool and the tool headto its handle. Whenever a rigid connection is used, the recess in theend piece is of small dimensions but if a swivel connection is desired,acircumierentiai recess is The machine is provided with a handle 65secured to the carriage and the operation of the motor is controlled bya switch 66 mounted within the cover near the upper end thereof andhaving a trigger BI'exposed at the topof the cover. 'I'he motor supplycable 68 leads into the switch through an opening in the cover and acable69 leads from the switch to the motor terminals.

The new machine is quiet in operation because the motor and fan areenclosed and so mounted that vibration therefrom is not transmitted tothe rest of the machine and the air passing from the motor to the outletows through a, passage dened by sound insulating material. The baillealso deadens the sound of the outcoming air by breaking up the airstream.

By the provision of the device for reducing the velocity of the incomingair, the machine, although equipped with an internal filter, may be usedfor removal of liquids and suds, since the device so reduces thevelocity of the stream that the liquids and suds are deposited withoutsplashing and wetting of the lter is prevented. The use of the internallter reduces the overall bulk of the machine and makes its use possiblein restricted spaces, and the construction is such that the filter canbe easily cleaned and removed and replaced and the container can beeasily emptied.

The mounting of the motor and fan unit on the cover makes it possible toremove the cover and unit as one so -that the fan is readily accessibleand the moving parts can be readily reached for repair and maintenance.The provision of bearings for the motor shaft at one end of the motorhousing and at a point beyond the fan keeps the shaft from whipping withresultant injury to the fan and both bearings are readily accessible forlubrication.

As pointed out above, the new machine is suitable for a wide variety ofcleaning purposes and may be used alternately for removal of wet and drymaterials without the necessity of changing the filter bag. It is highlyeffective in removing liquids from oors which have been scrubbed andcarpets which have been cleaned and are covered with soap suds. Inaddition, it has been successfully used for removal of liquids fromooded areas.

I claim:

1. In a vacuum cleaner comprising a container having an air inlet andmeans for creating a. partial vacuum within the container; a devicewithin lthe container through which air passes from the inlet into thecontainer, said device comprising a tube extending into the container asa continuation of the inlet, a casing enclosing the tube and having anormally closed end spaced from and opposite the inner end of the tubebut relatively close thereto, the other end of the casing being closedby a Wall substantially parallel to said normally closed end, saidcasing having a discharge outlet in a lateral wall thereof.

2. In a vacuum cleaner comprising a container having an air inlet andmeans for creating a partial vacuum within the container; a devicewithin the container through which air passes from the inlet into thecontainer, said device comprising a tube extending into the container asa continuation of the inlet, a casing enclosing the tube and having anormally closed end spaced from and opposite the inner end of the tube,the

other end of the casing being closed by a wall substantially parallel tosaid normally closed end, said casing having a discharge outlet in alateral wall thereof.

3. In a vacuum cleaner comprising a container having an inlet and anoutlet and a motor driven ian for drawing air through the inlet andcausing it to be expelled through the outlet; means interposed in thepath of the air stream entering the container for reducing the velocityof the incoming air and for diffusing said air before it enters the mainportion of the space within said container, said means including a tubeextending inwardly from the inlet and a casing mounted eccentrically ofthe tube and enclosing the latter, said casing having a movable endportion normally closing the inner end of the casing and spaced from andopposite the inner end of the tube, said casing also having a dischargeport in its side wall remote from the inner end of the tube.

4. In a vacuum cleaner comprising a container having an inlet and anoutlet and a motor driven fan for drawing air through the inlet andcausing it to be expelled through the outlet; means interposed in thepath of the air stream entering the container for reducing the velocityof the incoming air and for diffusing said air before it enters the mainportion of the space within said container, said means including a tubeextending inwardly from the inlet and a casing enclosing the tube andhaving a closed end spaced from and opposite the inner end of said tube,said casing also having a wall substantially parallel to said closed endso that the incoming air will impinge against said closed end andrebound against said substantially parallel wall and from it reboundback against the oncoming stream, said casing having a lateraldischargeadjacent the inlet.

ROBERT A. PONSELLE.

